In the beginning of Black Theater, black actors were protrayed in a very offensive and negative way. This was due to the use of blackface, which was when a white actor would paint their face black in order to play the part of a black person. Then they would usually protray the character as unintelligent and primative beings. It wasn't until 1776 that black people in Black Theater were protrayed in a positive light. This positive outlook on black people allowed black playwrights to enter into the theater and start working on new material. Actually the first play to portray black people positively is John Leacock's The Fall of British Tyranny. With the founding of the African Glove Theater in 1821, black people were able to act for mixed audiences. It actually wasn't until the 1853 production of Uncle Tom that black people were allowed to attend a white production. At first the African Glove Theater was doing very well, but over some time people were just going there to mock the black actors therefore making the theater close up shop. As time passed by, it was not until 1902 that In Dahomey became the first all black musical to make it to Broadway. During the 1920's Black theater took off and all black musicals became a big hit. Although they were entertaining productions, they were also showing the struggles that black people were facing at that time. They wanted to show everyone that it was not easy being a black person during that time period and any time before then. Even with the arrival of the great depression, black theater continued to be on the rise and many black actors were being recognized for their talent. As television became more prevalent at the beginning of the 1950's theater overall started to decline. However, with the rise of civil rights black people brought their own style to theaters in order to show support. They wanted to show the real issues in order to support the movement.